Re: Your favorite train ride
Author: ff
Date: 03-04-2010 - 08:27
Tom, your experience brot back the memory of my folks dropping myself and a friend off at Lyons Dam on the Pickering one Sunday back in 1940.. The plan was to walk to Twain Harte. I had no idea trains ran on Sunday but soon the sound of screaming wheels on tight curves announced that one was descending behind us. When it was passing my friend climbed a log car and went to the top. I swung on the caboose. The conductor was kindly...invited me into the cupolo.. and when we stopped preparing to head down what he said was a 7% grade...He invited my friend to join us telling him how dangerous it was to be on the logs. The engineer knew nothing of our presence...so we had to jump off while moving when arriving at Twain Harte where the family had a cabin. == Another experience...the last NWP electric out of San Rafael to Saucilito was a deadhead movement with 14 cars ...Most of the hinged headlights which faced out between the cars were all lighted flooding the midnight countryside. It was a full speed non stop run with fans in many of the cabs... all pulling the whistles. My Sister and Husband were waiting to pick us up. and were terrified as the train crew closer not knowing what was happening. Often wonder if anyone reading this was present on that trip. == Another.. Feb 13, 1938 one of some 20 consecutive days of rain.. a dismal day when three beautiful Niles cars of the Napa Valley electric made a farewell round trip from the ferry terminal in Vallejo to Napa for just a handful of fans. I was said that a small trestle washed out later that day and a Greyhound died in a flooded area... Finally...the last run of the Utah Idaho Central from Preston to Ogden..3 cars ..warmly lighted inside but maintenance was so bad... those 3 cars ran with only 2 motors..and so we were 2 hours late into Ogden...